Spring of a Generous Merchant
by ElGato44
Summary: It is spring time and Lu Su is feeling lonely and bored. All that changes as he meets a few interesting characters, one of whom may change his life.
1. Spring Fever Begins

Disclaimer: I literally wrote this seconds after Lu Su was confirmed for DW8. He is such an interesting character that I felt the need to write about him. For those who are familiar with my work, this is a pseudo-sequel to **Dysfunctional Brotherhood **and **Turbulent Addiction.** But the focus isn't Sun Ce or Zhou Yu, though they will appear, but it follows the timeline. Ultimately, since this is before the game is released and before I see his render, I will probably rewrite this to fit Lu Su's game personality. I used my interpretation of his historical personality. Oh well...enjoy!

Chapter One: Spring Fever Begins

Lu Su was bored. He should've been used to it by now since his friend and ally Zhou Yu is always more than willing to take the reigns of all the hard work and work his perfect ass off. Zhou Yu wasn't the problem. There haven't been much administrative or military work in the weeks of late, though he predicted that Sun Ce would start his expansion south. If that were the case, Lu Su was ready to take on the advisory position.

But that was later, this was now. The man sighed, staring blankly at the pond his feet were currently dipped in. He didn't even flinch when the blazing orange fish started nibbling at his toes. Those fish always found something to do, even in the confines of the pond.

"Lu Su, it's odd to see you look so dejected," a soft but powerful voice said behind him.

Immediately, Lu Su scrambled to his feet, adjusting his robes, shocked out of his reverie.

"Zhou Yu!" Lu Su smiled, "You scared me there. Dark robes really make you intimidating."

Zhou Yu's face didn't flicker as Lu Su dusted the grass from his bum.

"Is there something wrong?" Lu Su asked his comrade.

"Nothing is wrong, my friend. I just saw you sitting here lost in thought. You usually keep yourself busy."

Lu Su laughed. A deep, cheerful laugh.

"Indeed I do, Zhou Yu. It seems I am not within the mindset of such a thing today. What can I do you for?"

Zhou Yu was straight faced, his arms folded in the sleeves of his dark robe. He never ceased to amaze and intimidate Lu Su. But as of late, even the usually rigid Zhou Yu had began to find time to indulge in some of his favorite past times such as writing and music.

"You can do me a great favor," Zhou Yu said. "Walk with me."

Typical direct Zhou Yu. Lu Su hesitated for a moment, but walked after the refined man as he strolled through the garden.

"What is this favor?"

Zhou Yu was not looking at him, but he slowed his stride so Lu Su could keep pace.

"I…I am embarrassed to ask this of you. You see…you are very good at finances, no?"

"I know my way around personal economics yes," Lu Su answered, wondering where Zhou Yu was going with this.

"I recently tried going over personal assets, I'm not sure if everything is adding up. As it stands, the lands I partially own won't be nearly enough to pay for taxes and necessities."

"Are you sure? You took in account all the equities from last season, correct?" Lu Su was quickly forgetting himself. He had inadvertently raised his voice and cut Zhou Yu off. Zhou Yu paused, staring at Lu Su.

Lu Su scratched his head and cleared his throat, "My apologies."

"In answer to your question, yes. I think. Maybe I'm counting wrong," Zhou Yu replied. "Maybe you could—"

Even though Zhou Yu cut himself off, Lu Su smiled broadly, "Say no more. I will take a look."

Lu Su noticed with some dismay that Zhou Yu's shoulders visibly relaxed. It was never good to see Zhou Yu stressed. Well…whatever Lu Su could do to help a friend was enough.

Zhou Yu blessed him with a rare smile and cuffed him on the shoulder in gratitude, before strolling off. Lu Su stared off after the young man, rubbing his hands together.

Financial advice Lu Su could do. He was bred to do it. Even after Dong Zhuo ravaged his village, Lu Su managed to sell off his land and give the proceeds to his townspeople and suffering relatives. Still, he managed to live prosperously.

Lately though, he felt…he didn't know.

A little less than a year ago, Sun Ce's son was born. Recently Lu Meng had found a beautiful and kind-hearted soul for a wife and Sun Quan had learned to reconcile with his lady friend, Lian Shi.

But where was Lu Su in all of this? Stagnant. While it seemed everyone else was finding their light, he was stuck in a rut, a haze. It wasn't the first time he contemplated on returning to his hometown to his relatives. There, his grandmother would no doubt be prying into his personal life and finding women for him to marry. Bless her soul.

Lu Su ran his hand in his hair. Why should he let the life and happiness of others bring him down? It wasn't their fault that he had been feeling down. Everyone had so far treated him with nothing but kindness.

He approached the small stream that led into the pond and crouched beside it, watching the water calmly flow over the rocks. Such a simple act, he couldn't help but be entranced. With some relief, his mind treaded over that water, ignoring his own loneliness.

* * *

Later in the afternoon, Lu Su headed to Zhou Yu's rooms in order to go over his friend's financial accounts, but a boisterous Sun Ce stopped him.

"Hey, Lu Su."

"Master Sun Ce!," Lu Su replied, jumping a little as he didn't see the general coming.

"I thought you were heading home," he said.

Lu Su blinked. He hadn't meant for it to be a big deal. In fact, he hadn't meant it to be known across the compound. He didn't want to cause any trouble. Did Lu Xun, Lu Meng, and Zhou Yu also know?

"Well I…I don't know," Lu Su stammered, before hanging his head.

"Is there a problem with family?" Sun Ce asked.

"No, it's just…there's not much keeping me here."

A look of worry and shock flashed over Sun Ce's face. His mouth was hanging open.

Lu Su began tapping his feet, feeling nervous. He kept glancing over his shoulder in the direction of Zhou Yu's quarters. He didn't want to keep Zhou Yu waiting. Not after he promised to go over those reports.

"I'm sorry, Master Sun Ce, but I really must be going."

Sun Ce nodded, "Yeah…sure."

The Sun leader couldn't ignore the laughter inside his own head as he watched his advisor head down the hall. He always thought Lu Su to be a sort of an oddball. He had no personality pattern that he could pinpoint, with the exception that he was ungodly kind. Shaking his head, Sun Ce retreated to his own quarters.

Inside his cozy rooms, Sun Ce plopped on the red velvet upholstery, stretching out his long legs. Never had he thought that he would enjoy relaxing so much. Normally, he would be aching to go out there and fight. Maybe it was because everyone in the compound was settling down. Zhou Yu, Lu Meng…the exception to that rule was Ling Tong, Gan Ning, Shang Xiang and the young Lu Xun. Even though his younger brother, Sun Quan, was not yet married, he pretty much set his sights on the lovely, busty Lian Shi. Wait…was Lu Su married?

No, he couldn't recall meeting any woman of Lu Su's.

At that moment, his wife, Da Qiao entered in a thin brightly colored silk robe.

"Hi," she said lazily, airly before she sat on the chair across from him.

Sun Ce stared at her, "Are you? Are you high?"

Da Qiao rolled her eyes at her husband," I just returned from the baths with Xiao."

"Hrm. I don't really take baths."

"I know."

Sun Ce flinched, "I'm not the only one. No one really takes baths that often. At least the men don't."

"And that's the reason why I open the windows and burn a month's worth of incense in a week."

"Come on—"

"I'm not talking about cleaning anyway. Just casual relaxing baths. You should try it. Start a trend."

"Doesn't Zhou Yu take baths?"

"To clean himself," Da Qiao replied. "In an almost obsessive, compulsive way. And I'm pretty sure he doesn't relax."

Sun Ce leaned forward, "So you're saying, Da, that to have everyone relieve stress, I have to start taking frilly, bubbly baths? Doesn't sex do the trick?"

"Ce!" she blushed.

"It's true! Come on, if anything the collective…fornicating of this place is on the rise…thanks mostly to Zhou Yu. He needs another hobby."

Da Qiao laughed, "I know they haven't reconciled quite yet, but Xiao swears that ever since she got pregnant, he can't keep his hands off her."

"Figures…"

Da changed the subject, "You can always relax with me. You don't have to enjoy the bath…just the naked lady that is in it."

Sun Ce quirked an eyebrow.

* * *

Inside Zhou Yu's room, Lu Su and Zhou Yu sat at a small writing desk and poured over all the financial files that were collected for Zhou Yu's assets. Lu Su was glad Zhou Yu had kept diligent records, but the problem was finding anything that could be missing.

"I don't know what I am missing. I can't seem to make sense of it," Zhou Yu sighed in frustration.

"It makes perfect sense," Lu Su said, eyes traveling over the words.

"It does for you, my friend. You've been doing this since before you could walk."

Lu Su felt like he was complemented. Being complemented by the likes of Zhou Yu would make anyone feel good.

"Here," Lu Su said as he pulled the scrolls and sheets towards him. "You've got wheat proceeds and we take out the tax of that. Rice, flour, plus your meats…all in all it seems like a diverse portfolio of assets."

"I get that, then why am I worrying over nothing?"

"That is what you do," Lu Su said with a smile, but immediately bit his tongue. He wanted to take back those words, but luckily that response didn't sway Zhou Yu in the slightest.

"Still, you being away from this property may be where we are missing some things."

Zhou Yu groaned softly, "I cannot attend the farm when I am here all the time. My uncle gave this to me almost a year ago. I'm sure he was certain that my father wouldn't give me it when he finally rots in cold hell."

"Don't worry yet. Sometimes assets go up and sometimes they go down, depending on what merchants want. Where is this farm of yours anyway?"

"In the hills outside of Lujiang."

Lu Su stopped, as if a thought dawned on him, "Oh…"

Zhou Yu eyed him warily, his golden eyes wide in mild concern, "What?"

"Lujiang is under Yuan Shu's policies."

"And?"

"His tax rates are nearly double they are here. You're being taxed for your land, which is obvious, but you're also being taxed on an individual level."

"So basically I'm paying triple tax. Here and in Lujiang. Plus the amount for feeding and paying my workers."

"Yes."

Zhou Yu rubbed his forehead vigorously. Lu Su hated to see his friend so disheartened.

"When you sell your grain, do you add one percent to the price for foraging costs?"

Zhou Yu shook his head, "We do so via bargain. That is the proper way…"

"Not in the land of Yuan Shu. Merchants are selling and buying their goods with the addition of at least three percent in some areas. No more than pocket change for most of Yuan Shu's constituents, but you should've taken the cost of paying your workers into the price of your goods."

Lu Su eyed his friend, seeing the man shake his head in dismay.

The door to his rooms opened, and a very young woman entered in a light silk robe, her light brown hair wet. With her was a delicious smell of spring and berries.

"Oh, Lu Su. I didn't realize you were here," Xiao Qiao said, clearly embarrassed in her state of dress in front of him. Lu Su could only swallow his dry throat, taken aback by her youth and beauty. Of course, he had known her for a while, but both Qiaos were unparalleled in their beauty. And he did appreciate their beauty, like he could appreciate the beauty of the misty mountains.

As of late, Xiao Qiao only seemed to be even lovelier than ever. She had this soft, healthy glow about her that was greatly attributed to the bump of her belly where she carried her growing child.

Zhou Yu glanced at her with an appreciative gaze, breaking his world-weary, slightly haggard face.

Personally, Lu Su was glad that the two were seen in each other's company again. More than a month ago, Zhou Yu set on a path of destruction in a fit of madness that seemed the only happy result was his death. Though he was alive now, the journey caused both him and Xiao Qiao to analyze their relationship, which wasn't good behind closed doors. Lu Su heard Da Qiao call their relationship 'abusive'.

Although they were technically still married, thanks in part to the unborn child Xiao was carrying, they had to slowly work back into a normal formal marriage. Now Zhou Yu treated her as if she were life itself, with what could only be described as loving care. Still, although some emotional strings had yet to be connected, Xiao and Zhou Yu enjoyed physical connections frequently.

"Lu Su is helping me sort out some…er…details in these reports."

"Ah, well that's nice," she responded. "Do you want some of my tea?"

"Ummm," Lu Su paused, unsure if he was overstepping his boundaries.

"It's got a hint of honey," Zhou Yu said. "You should try it."

_That does sound good,_ Lu Su thought. He shook his head anyway and quickly gathered the reports.

"I…er…I should be going," he stumbled to his feet. "I'll look over these reports and…uh…and get back to you."

He hurried past the two and out the door, holding the scrolls under his arm and rustling his hair.

Zhou Yu and Xiao Qiao stared after him in confusion.

Zhou Yu got up from the table and stood next to Xiao, watching Lu Su leave in a hurry.

"What's up with him?" she asked.

Zhou Yu wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "I have no idea."

"Perhaps he's lonely," she suggested.

He shrugged, "Spring has come again. The earth is ripe with renewal. Animals and humans alike are experiencing a time of intimate bonding. Lu Meng is now enjoying the love of a bride, Sun Quan is experiencing the love of a lady and Sun Ce has the love of a wife and child. Seeing all this love in one place, perhaps he is caught with spring fever."

"Yeah and I unfortunately know how you get when spring fever hits you," Xiao glared at Zhou Yu. He laughed and pulled his face close to hers. She, however, stubbornly refused to meet his gaze.

"Come now, wife. Allow your husband to pamper and satisfy you well into next morning," Zhou Yu said with a mischievous smile as he allowed his hand to fall to her burgeoning waist.

Xiao smiled playfully, and eventually went about amusing her husband's whims.

* * *

Yup. Lu Su everyone. Genious, generous, and apparently terrified by his superiors. R&R.


	2. The Woman Behind the Counter

Disclaimer: Usual things apply.

Chapter 2: That Woman Behind the Counter

After Lu Su's hasty getaway from Zhou Yu's quarters, he found himself in town. The day was lazy and hazy. The light mist in the air was pleasant and clean. He watched the people as he strolled along the docks, where the ships were on port. He dodged a man carrying a crate of fish and found himself in front of an unfamiliar place.

It used to be a fishery, but that moved to the end of the block in a bigger place. No. This was…what?

He could see people going in. It didn't seem to be loud or have anything unsavory about it. There was no sign that he could see.

"You gonna go in or not?" a snide voice commented beside him. Lu Su jumped when he saw tall Ling Tong beside him, gazing at the unmarked hut.

"You afraid or something?"

Lu Su jumped again, seeing Gan Ning on his other side. Where did these guys come from?

"What's up Lu Su? Meeting someone?" Ling Tong asked snidely.

"N-no," Lu Su answered, but to his surprise, Gan Ning and Ling Tong linked their arms through his and carried him inside the place.

Inside was quiet, with but a few people at wooden tables. It was obviously a diner and pub of some sort, but not the kind that he imagined rowdy Gan Ning or Ling Tong would frequent.

As the two men let the merchant down, Lu Su dusted off his robes, giving them a disdainful glare, "You two really need a hobby."

"Knock it off, pal. We're here for lunch." Gan Ning said before flitting over to the counter and sitting on a stool.

Lu Su sighed and sat down beside the pirate and then Ling Tong sat next to him.

"I've never seen this place before," said Lu Su.

"They bought it last month. It's actually fairly popular. Luckily we eat early lunch," Gan Ning replied.

"What's so good about it?"

Both men scoffed, "The food, of course."

Ling Tong whacked Lu Su in the arm, "They have this thing that's lamb in a flatbread."

"Lamb?"

"Yeah, there's nothing like it. Of course they have the traditional dumplings and dim sum if you prefer."

Ling Tong leaned over the counter, "Oy, Fatimah, can we get service here?"

Lu Su's brow furrowed at the name. He hadn't heard a name like that before.

From the back Lu Su heard a woman's rich, accented voice call, "Yes, yes, be patient!"

A woman came out from the back.

Lu Su blinked.

This…woman…Lu Su had never seen anyone like her, that's for sure. She had a delicately embroidered headscarf covering all of her hair. Her skin was clear and dark like chocolate, her eyes big and direct.

"You boys!" she said with mild dismay. Her voice was rich with a heavy accent. Han Chinese was definitely not her first language, but she had a clean grasp of it and spoke it very well.

"I should've known you two would come barging in causing a ruckus!" she scolded, wiping her hands on her dirty cooking shawl.

Ling Tong smirked, "Ruckus? What ruckus?"

The few people inside paused from their lunch to glance at the loud man shouting at the proprietor.

Lu Su grabbed Ling Tong by the shoulder, trying to stop him from engaging in a full on banter.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you," he whispered.

Gan Ning was at his side, elbow on the wooden counter, rubbing his temple, "I just want my food. Fatimah, can I get some bao? And preferably, have Ling Tong cut up on a spit."

"Very well, Gan Ning. And you Master Pompous?"

Ling Tong shook his head, "Your lamb of course. And a nice snifter of hot wine."

"Certainly," Fatimah said with a smile, revealing white teeth the contrasted with her light ebony skin. She faced Lu Su.

"Ah, ah!" Ling Tong cried, "I forgot. This is Lu Su. Merchant and adviser extraordinaire. It's his first time here."

Fatimah looked surprised, but pleased to have a new customer, "_Alhamdulillah! _Well, please, don't let these two boys dissuade from coming here. What will you have, Master Lu Su?"

He swallowed. What did he want? He could try Fatimah's foreign dish, to please her. He should give it a try. It never hurt to try anything new once in while.

"Actually, Jaozi dumplings will be fine."

Fatimah nodded and headed on back. Once she disappeared into what Lu Su assumed was the cooking area, he sighed and dropped his head on the counter, eliciting a very curious look from Gan Ning and Ling Tong.

"What's with you?"

"Why did I go with the dumplings?" Lu Su groaned.

"What's wrong with dumplings?" asked Ling Tong, "You wanted to try the lamb?"

Lu Su's muffed voice replied, "I thought I did, I couldn't just say that I wanted it."

He lifted his head up with a look of dejection on his face.

"You could just try mine…"

"I suppose so," but Lu Su didn't sound convinced. It sounded like he was really regretting making that decision.

"Jeez, man," Gan Ning said, "I didn't know food could bring you down THAT much."

The merchant couldn't respond. It wasn't the food. He was afraid he wouldn't like it and offend Fatimah. So he went with his comfort level. Dumplings were familiar and they were a food that was hard to make bad tasting. Or at least that was his opinion.

Lu Su blinked and turned to Ling Tong, "How long have you known that woman?"

"Fatimah? Oh about as long as she's been here."

"She's not…from here, is she?"

Ling Tong shook his head, "That should be obvious. From the deserts out west maybe. Possibly a part of those Turks that keep lurking around. I never asked her, but she's not from this land."

"Still makes good food, though," Gan Ning interjected.

A few moments later, Fatimah returned with hot bowls and plates of food, setting them in front of the men. Lu Su could see the steam rising from Ling Tong's lamb on flatbread. A variety of vegetables and sauces were piled on top. It smelled and looked delicious.

Lu Su glanced down at his own dumplings. They were fresh, and rather plump. He was too busy staring at his food that he hadn't noticed Fatimah placing a cup in front of Ling Tong.

"Eh?" Ling Tong called, "I ordered hot wine."

"That is fresh squeezed pomegranate juice. I'm not having you drink wine this early."

The young man grumbled.

Lu Su however, noticed a cup of hot tea by his own plate. He glanced up in surprise.

"Hot tea," Fatimah said with a nod, "You look like you could use it."

Lu Su had to give her a smile of thanks, "It is much appreciated."

While the two men beside him stuffed themselves, Lu Su cautiously asked to woman, "I'm assuming you own this place?"

Fatimah shook her head, "No. At least not completely."

She nodded towards a far corner. A burly, bearded, tattooed man sat half asleep, his pipe dangling in his mouth.

"Officially, Fan Zhu owns this place. Though it was my idea. No one would sell property to a foreign woman. Fan Zhu used to be a sailor, but his crew forced him to remain grounded for stealing wine. He gets half of the proceeds, I get the other half. I cook with my brother Faisal, clean and live here. Fan Zhu lives above the fishery down the street."

Lu Su thought about it. It was an interesting business venture, setting up your own eatery under the name of someone else. Not a bad solution to get started in this place.

"So, Master Lu Su, what is it you do exactly?"

Lu Su swallowed his dumpling—which was delicious by the way—and cleared his throat. He smiled, kind grey eyes laughing as he did so.

"Oh this and that. Being a merchant is my trade, but my comrades here make use of my organizational and tactical skills on the occasion."

"Do you no have a store here?" Fatimah asked.

Lu Su shook his head, "Back home I do. I stay here to give my services to the Sun clan and their allies."

Even as he said that he felt a wave of depression hit him. Lately he wasn't called upon to do much. Maybe he feared that they thought that his usefulness was waning. Well, sure, compared to commander-strategists like Zhou Yu, and rising tacticians like Lu Meng and even promising young Lu Xun, he could easily be expendable. He didn't fear that, but now as he thought it he did.

"Do you ever go home?"

There was a faint sense of sadness in Fatimah's voice, but Lu Su could not pinpoint why.

He stared into her forest green eyes, tongue-tied for some reason or another.

"O-occasionally. To check on my family and their assets. I was actually thinking of going back home for a while."

At that, Gan Ning coughed on his food, "What? You're leaving us."

Lu Su just stared at the pirate, using his tongue to work out a piece of meat stuck in his teeth.

Gan Ning continued to stare back, begging for an answer.

"It's not a big deal, Master Gan Ning," Lu Su said taking a sip of his tea. He turned back to Fatimah, feeling a tad more relaxed, thanks to the tea.

"Maybe when I come back, I should try that lamb. It smells delicious."

Fatimah seemed amused, smiling brightly as she tossed a dirty dish cloth over her shoulder, "Well then I will make one specially for you."

Before Lu Su could reply a man at one of the back tables raised his hand, "Fatimah!"

"Yes, coming," Fatimah left to serve the man.

Lu Su watched her comfortably talk with the man. For some reason, he felt relieved that the customers here treat her fairly well, despite her gender and ethnicity. His guess was the food trumped all of that for these hardy sailors.

Ling Tong gave an amused look at Gan Ning upon seeing Lu Su stare after the woman. Their friend was so obviously entranced.

* * *

A/N: Trying to slowly work in Lu Su's game personality and physique here. *Alhamdullilah* is a phrase of exclamation or rejoice in some Arabic tongues. And Fatimah is based on a two characters, one from an online show, another a very special friend of mine.


	3. Prepared for a Day Prepared for Life

Disclaimer: All usual disclaimers apply

Chapter 3: Prepared for the Day; Prepared for Life.

Back at the compound, Sun Ce sat with his son on his lap, glancing at some maps on the table. The child cooed, babbling things that weren't quite words.

"Yeah, I know kid. I don't get it either," he said, playing with his boy's chubby wrist. "I don't even think some of these rivers exist."

Sun Ce chuckled when Shao babbled again.

Then Sun Quan entered, scratching his wild red hair.

"Sun Ce, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," he replied, not really paying attention.

"Do you think I need a new walk?"

Sun Ce gave up and addressed his little brother, "I'm sorry? What?"

"A new walk. I think now I'm walking with a strange gait and people are laughing at me."

Sun Ce rubbed his forehead, "Ohhh, Quan, that's not why people are laughing at you."

Quan sat down, looking anxious. Whatever he was looking to do was starting to annoy Sun Ce.

"You think I should get married-?"

"No," Sun Ce said without hesitation.

"Why not?"

"When you grow a some hair on your chin, we can talk about it. Right now it's all on your head and your feet."

Sun Quan smirked, "I have some whiskers. See?"

He pointed to his naked chin, where a few dark sprouts were growing.

Sun Ce looked closely, then snatched one of the hairs, plucking it off Quan's chin.

"Ow! Dammit!" Quan yelled.

Sun Ce wiped his hand on his robe.

"Why do you want to get married anyway?" Sun Ce asked, finding it weird that Quan would want to get married. He figured it wasn't totally out of the realm of reason, but Quan was...Quan. Maybe marriage could be something Quan was better at than anyone else. God knows if he managed to snatch up Lian Shi, he would be the envy of many single men.

"You know…because of Lian Shi. I don't want to risk losing her."

Sun Ce rolled his eyes, "You have nothing to worry about, Quan. Look if Da Qiao is still with me, and Xiao Qiao is still with Zhou Yu, Lian Shi won't leave you if you don't…you know…be a total dick towards her, or use sock puppets as foreplay."

Quan's brow creased, "Speaking of which, where is Lord Zhou Yu?"

Sun Ce shrugged, "Probably out burning a pair of pants."

He glanced up and looked at Quan, "Apparently walking in town with really tight pants he gets a lot of attention, from both girls and men. Some of those guys were beyond impressed. He looked like he had a sausage tied to his thigh."

Quan blinked, "What about Lu Su? I thought I saw him earlier this morning."

"I think he went into town or something. I love the guy but he's starting to freak me out."

Sun Ce glanced down at the top of his boy's head, "Hrm…I guess I should get used to things crapping in my lap."

* * *

Early in the morning, Sun Ce went directly to Zhou Yu's quarters. He hadn't really seen Zhou Yu as of late, or rather had time together. It was understandable as Sun Ce was busy doing his own thing and Zhou Yu was doing his. Sure they had a few conversations at dinner or when they passed each other in the halls, but nothing extensive as of late.

Sun Ce scoffed to himself. If Zhou Yu ever thought that the "Little Conqueror" ever missed him he would never live it down.

He knocked, but there was no answer. After a second knock, Sun Ce thought to barge in.

Inside, Zhou Yu was asleep peacefully next to his wife. Sleeping peacefully was only a recent occurrence for him and he treasured it. As the morning came, he became acutely aware of his surroundings. Xiao Qiao's body next to his, her hand on his bare chest, the light from the morning sun hitting his face, the knocking at his door…

He groaned, refusing to open his eyes.

The knocking continued.

"Someone needs you, darling," he heard Xiao Qiao say sleepily.

"Until the morning sun rises, I am only yours," he groaned before resuming his soft snoring hoping whomever was at his door would just leave them in peace.

But the knocking persisted. Someone really wanted him. And he had a rough idea of whom.

He felt Xiao lightly pat his chest.

"You should go see who it is," she mumbled, still half asleep.

Zhou Yu growled and shifted out of bed, "Alright, I'm up."

He found a robe and tied it around himself. He pulled the covers back over Xiao Qiao securely before heading out to answer his door. If there was ever a time that he wanted to just live in his own house…

Sun Ce barged in with his hand over his eyes, "Whatever perverted thing you're doing, stop! I'm coming in!"

Zhou Yu stared mildly aghast, "Shhhhh! Sun Ce! Xiao's asleep."

Sun Ce peaked through his fingers, finding his friend in a robe, looking like he just got out of bed.

"Ah…good," Sun Ce said but took a good look at Zhou Yu, especially his growing beard, which was growing thicker, "Wow. That thing's really growing in, isn't it."

"Ce-."

"It looks like bear just face-planted on your face."

Zhou Yu sighed and rubbed his temples.

"Of all the things you choose not to be, you choose to be an early riser. What do you want?"

Sun Ce paused, his mouth hanging open, briefly forgetting why he had come.

"I just wanted to hang out again. Is that so bad? I feel like I never see you," Sun Ce pouted and joked, "The children don't even know what you look like anymore."

Zhou Yu twitched, reminded briefly of his impending fatherhood, which always made him feel anxious and nervous.

"You want to hang out…this early in the morning?"

Sun Ce shrugged, "Fishing."

"Fishing?"

"Yes, you always get the best catch early in the morning when the waters are calm. You know that."

Zhou Yu shook his head and pointed to an upholstered couch, "Sit."

"No..no, no, do you not understand what I'm saying? FISHING, man? Hang out!"

Zhou Yu sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. Sun Ce resisted a laugh. He sat down across from his friend, his hand over his mouth, resisting a bout of laughter. Luckily, Zhou Yu didn't notice. He was already drifting back asleep.

"You know," Sun Ce said. "It's nice to see you getting more sleep, but at some point its going to seem like you're getting goddamn lazy. Making Lu Su do all your taxes for you. Goddamn shame. No wonder the poor man doesn't have a life. He's your lackey."

To Sun Ce's amusement, Zhou Yu was already half asleep. The conqueror scooted forward and dragged, Zhou Yu's chair towards him. Zhou Yu snapped awake with a sharp snort.

"Come on bud," Sun Ce's grin showed he wasn't going to let up. With a sigh, Zhou Yu rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine. Let me get some horseradish and some tea first."

"Fair enough," Sun Ce smiled, rubbing his hands. "Oh and, uh, whenever you're having these late night/early morning talks, cover yourself up, you can see your little dragon when you sit like that."

Zhou Yu cleared his throat and crossed his legs.

* * *

If there was anything Lu Su truly enjoyed, it was walks. Walks in the garden, walks along the riverbanks, walks into to town, he appreciated such a simple exercise of amusement.

Even now, early in the morning, just as the town was starting to rise, his walk was used to clear his head completely of any thought. He found that thinking could make a man old and weary. Probably why Zhou Yu and Lu Meng were considered crotchety old men despite their younger ages. Lu Su chuckled to himself.

He inhaled the fresh morning air, the town was quiet and none of the shops were open. Only the fishermen by the docks were bustling about.

Still he paused by the eatery he ate at yesterday. It looked closed, or just empty. Lu Su stroked his goatee. That was when a smell caught his nose. It was fairly faint, but whatever it was it smelled delicious.

Suddenly, a man opened the door. It wasn't Fan Zhu. It was a burly man with olive skin. He had a scruff and small-embroidered hat atop his crown. Another man came out of the eatery. Lu Su had seen him before. Once at the Sun compound. He was lighter skinned with short dark hair, and a gold ring through his nostril. The man looked kind of out of his own element, wearing a short Chinese robe and some dark pants with sandals. Either way, he was speaking to the previous man in some language that Lu Su didn't understand.

The man in the hat nodded, but didn't speak, even as the other man continued to speak to him excitedly. Lu Su clenched his teeth in wonder, listening, trying to gather what they were discussing, but it was futile.

Finally, the man with the nose ring bade goodbye with a smile and turned to Lu Su, greeting him in his tongue, before walking off down the street.

Lu Su blinked, not knowing what to say back, but the man seemed content. The other man in the hat hung up a few lanterns by the doorway, the flames cold until nightfall. He turned a wary eye towards Lu Su.

"Erm," Lu Su cleared his throat.

He hesitated. Would this man understand him?

"Are you…open?"

He got no reply, just a stare. Maybe, if he got someone that could understand him…

"Is, er, Fatimah in?"

He just received a blank stare.

Lu Su thought to ask once again, "Fatimah. Is she here?"

The man breathed in and jerked his head up and to the side, indicating somewhere around the back of the diner. Lu Su could only nod, hoping whoever that man was would understand. Still, with a tad bit of paranoia, Lu Su cautiously glanced over his shoulder at the man, but he seemed to be busy opening the eatery up.

Feeling like he was stepping into extremely private property he pushed through the rickety fence gate to the back. Lu Su was not expecting this.

The back was a large open green area, with small fences containing sheep and a few chickens clucking about. A woman in a crisp white cooking robe and a shawl wrapped around her head was bent forward, spreading feed for the chickens.

She was singing, though. Softly singing a song as she went about spreading the feed for her flock.

The words, he couldn't understand. But that certainly didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it. It was lulling, like the song of birds, despite the rough consonants it flowed together beautifully. It wasn't natural, the song. It was mystical, spiritual, as if she was on another plane of existence was she was singing it. At least...that's how he felt.

Hating to interrupt Fatimah's song, he cleared his throat to get her attention. Fatimah jerked her head up, some of the grain feed spilling from her palms. Her eyes were wide in shock at seeing him there and Lu Su knew that in a way he was trespassing.

"Oh," she proceeded to utter a name under her breath, "You frightened me there."

"I apologize," Lu Su bowed low at the waist, and still his hulking height failed to convey much humbleness. Lucky, as big as he was, he was not an imposing man of any sort. "The man who opened up told me you would be back here."

"My brother spoke to you?"

Lu Su reeled back. Brother? To him, they looked nothing alike. As dark as that man's skin was, it was not nearly as dark as her beautiful brown skin. Aside from that, there were other features that the two did not share.

"Faisal rarely speaks to anyone outside of me or his friends," Fatimah pondered to herself, before turning back to him. "What is it you are doing?"

Lu Su swallowed again and uttered apologies. Truth was, he had very little reason to trespass here to even go looking for her.

"I was just taking a walk in town. When I saw that your shop started opening up."

There was a pause as Fatimah's dark eyes darted, searching his face for any ill will. She was still skeptical. There was no reason for him to be back here. Lu Su rubbed the back of his neck, finding it damp. He was sweating, nervous.

Lu Su glanced over to her flock that she was feeding, "These your sheep?"

She glanced down at her animals, "Yes, they are mine. And although some of them will be used to feed the bellies of your men, I still treat them as well as I can. I daresay, they are more pampered than the local governor."

Lu Su chuckled deep in his chest, seeing the sheep contently eat the feed with lazy eyes.

"If only I can give them better shelter and places to run," Fatimah sighed. "But for such simple minded animals, I don't think they mind."

Smiling, Lu Su glanced down at a newborn lamb sitting by its mother. It was still knobby in the legs and its wool was just short, fine curls. It couldn't have been more than a few days old. Its mother bent down to lick it.

"How old's that one?" Lu Su asked, seeing the lamb nip back at its mother.

"He's just a few days old, born the night before you first entered our establishment."

Fatimah bent down to stroke the lamb's downy head with gentle care.

"He's one of the first spring has brought us."

There was soft silence as Lu Su gazed upon the woman as she doted upon the lamb. He was at a loss for words and he didn't even turn when something grabbed at the seat of his robes. He felt a tug and he yelped, hearing a tear.

Lu Su spun around seeing a thickly coated sheep staring directly at him, a piece of Lu Su's red robe in its mouth. Alarmed, Lu Su rubbed his bottom, feeling a hole in his outer robe.

"Aiya!" Fatimah scolded, waving her hand furiously at the sheep, shooing it away to the corner of his area. A few of the sheep next to the culprit bleated and went with him.

"I apologize," she said roughly, glaring at the sheep. "When they want their food, they'll do anything for attention."

"So they do," Lu Su said, his smile bright as he laughed.

Fatimah laughed to herself, amused, and closed her satchel of feed, beckoning him with her hand, "Come on inside. I will patch that up."

Lu Su watched her leave, maybe a bit too long. It wasn't polite to gawk at a woman for too long, at least that was what Kung Fuzi had philosophized. Whether the woman be from the Han or some distant land, manners were manners.

Catching himself, he quickly followed her inside the tavern.

As they entered they ran across Faisal again, who had leather apron on. He stared at Lu Su. It wasn't suspicious or wary, just wonderment and curiosity. Like Lu Su had another head.

Fatimah proceeded to speak to her brother. Faisal merely nodded and went back out dutifully.

"He needs to put the meat on the fire and keep them smoking."

Fatimah led him to the prep area and pulled out a stool.

"Sit," she said patting the stool. Lu Su took out his outer robe and handed it to her. Even as he handed her the fabric, he felt like he was handing her his trust. Strange how such a simple act seemed to go so far. He knew this trust, being mended by Fatimah with her roughened dark-skinned hands, was in great care. The care she gave to her sheep; her establishment.

Lu Su sat quietly, unable to think of anything but her. He tried not to stare at her for too long. Occassionally, she'd catch him looking at her for a tad longer than necessary and immediately, he flitted his gaze down to her hands, to the pans, to the cookery, anything else. It should've been quite obvious that he was interested her. As a person not a…

He assumed not much more.

"There," she said softly, handing him back his robe. "You'll have a seam on your bum, but at least you won't have to go around town with a large hole in it."

Lu Su took a few seconds too long to thank her, and he wasn't able to because a raspy voice called from the dining area.

"Fatimah! Fatimah!"

Fatimah stood from the stool abruptly, "Yes!"

She ran out to the bar area. Fan Zhu was there, looking blank and stern. Lu Su watched carefully, hopefully she wouldn't be scolded for anything. He couldn't think of anything she could have done that would warrant a scolding by the grounded pirate, but one could never know.  
"Yes, Fan Zhu, what is it?"

"Has the food started cooking?" the man asked, running his fingers through his beard.

"Yes, yes, as always," she responded, staring at Fan Zhu expectantly.

"Good, because we have some sailors docking from Xuchang. And chances are they will be hungry. Be prepared."

Fatimah's eyes widened for a moment, but she nodded, "Ah, yes, yes. Thank you Fan Zhu."

The man nodded, "I will be out back if you need me."

Fatimah glanced back at Lu Su, a smile on her lips. Rubbing her hands together she began muttering something in her tongue, sweet and fluid. Lu Su barely caught the sound as she passed him.

"What's…what's going on?" his deep voice rumbled.

"Oh we're going to be very busy today," she sighed as she entered the kitchen and opened up the large basin of boiling water. Steam filled the kitchen and Fatimah frantically began waving her hands to clear the smoke.

"A bunch of hungry sailors. There will be little rest," she continued.

Lu Su stood, contemplating, watching her pour vegetables in the basin. He glanced around the kitchen, his lips parted in anticipation.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

In reality, there was very little he could do to help. He knew next to nothing about cooking. Especially trying to quench the needs of hungry sailors. God knows he's been around them enough…

"Help?" she asked, her brow furrowed as if the very thought was foreign to her.

"Yes," Lu Su replied, his voice going strangely soft. "It's the least I could do after trespassing and having you fix my clothes."

Faisal poked his head in, eyes on Fatimah. She spoke to him, giving him orders it sounded like. The man nodded and put a cooking smock on and went out to fetch some meat.

Fatimah turned to the large merchant who had no cooking experience.

"I assume you know how to get drinks right?"

Lu Su nodded, "I know about drinks, yes."

"Then you, sire, shall be in charge of quenching the thirst of the sailors."

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A/N: I'm not entirely certain I like this chapter, especially Lu Su's part. I need to develop him more and I will in the next chapter, I promise. As always R&R.


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